Bay Harbor traffic light cut

A traffic light along U.S. 31 at the Bay Harbor resort's main entrance was among nine transportation projects around the state for which funding was vetoed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Monday.

Greg Bird, director of communications for the state's budget office, said installation of the signal was one of the projects affected when the governor trimmed $5.9 million from the transportation budget.

Citing safety concerns from local residents and others who drive in the area, Resort Township and Bay Harbor officials had made several requests to the Michigan Department of Transportation in recent years to explore possibilities for the traffic light, as well as examine other traffic needs along the often-congested U.S. 31 corridor on Petoskey's western outskirts.

"The traffic's been almost a steady line (on U.S. 31)," Bay Harbor Co. operations manager Bill Byberg said. "It's difficult getting out of Bay Harbor."

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Bird, whose office cooperated with Granholm in evaluating the funding proposals, said the projects affected by this week's veto were added to the transportation budget in the Michigan Legislature and were not part of the larger budget agreement which the governor and legislators had worked out this year.

In addition, he said the projects in question had not undergone the review by the state's Transportation Commission which road-related funding requests typically do for inclusion in the budget.

"We would love to be able to pay for every project," Bird said, noting the state's tight revenue situation. "The funds simply are not there at this time. We just thought that along with the additional cost to the state, that was setting a bad precedent at this time."

State Sen. Jason Allen, R-Traverse City, expressed disappointment at the cuts, which also affected proposals for a traffic signal in the Traverse City area, repairs for Cheboygan's Lincoln Avenue bridge and an interchange at Interstate 75 and M-48 in Chippewa County.

"Legislators from all over the state, both Republican and Democrats, understood the importance of these projects and supported the legislation," he said. "I am extremely disappointed that Gov. Granholm felt that the concerns of Northern Michigan were not important enough to fund.

"In the future, I hope the governor will keep the needs of the residents of Northern Michigan in mind."

Byberg said Bay Harbor officials plan to stay in contact with state officials about the traffic needs they sense along U.S. 31 near the resort.

"We're disappointed in this," he said of the funding cut, "but we'll continue to request from MDOT that they study the issues."